Door mechanism for cars



Mar; 3, 1925.

1,528,608 3. G. GREB ET AL DOOR MECHANISM FOR CARS 7 Filed Aug. 5, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Joseph E.GIE1J.

Evend KLiUEIhun Mar. 3, 1925.

J G. GREB ET AL boon MECHANISM FOR CARS Filed Aug. 5, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 V Snow Jon Jnsegh E.ETE1J Evend K .Lillelhun attozmzr Patented Mar. 3, 1925.

JOSEPH-G. GREB AND'SVEND K. LILLETHUN, OF IVCCHEJNRY, NORTH DAKOTA.

DOOR MECHANISM FOR GAB-S.

- Application filed August 5, 1922. Serial No. 579,892.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatwe, J osnPi-i G. Guns and SVEND K. L LLETHUN, citizens of the United States, residing at. McHenry, in the county of Foster and. State of North Dakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Door Mechanism for Cars, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates'to improvements in doors.

The primary object ofthis invention is the provision of a door mechanism-particularly well adapted for use upon box cars and like enclosures, whereby the contents thereof may be most effectively regulated and. controlled.

A- furtherobject of the, invention is the provision of a door mechanism including an auxiliary closure member, which is so connected to the main door arrangement as to most effectively retain or discharge grain, gravel, coal. or like contents of the enclosure in which the door is. provided.

Other. objects. and advantages will be apparent during the course. of the following detailed description.

In the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part of this specification, and wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the. several views. V

:Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of, a box car, showing the improved door arrangement in closed position thereon.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary inside view, partly in section, of a box car, showing the door way of the same partly closed by a section of the novel door mechanism.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the improved door mechanism, showing the associated details thereof.

Figure at is a front elevation of the door way of an enclosure, such as a box car, showing the manner in which an auxiliary closure device may be regulated within the door way for release of the contents of the enclosure.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary edge elevation of a portion of the improved door mechanism. v

Figure 6 is a transverse crosssectional view, showing associated details of the door mechanism, whereby a connection of the box car and the door mechanism may be sealed against liability of loss of contents from the box car.

In the drawings, wherein forthepurposc of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of this invention, the letter designates a box car or other enclosure, having the improved door mechanism B associated therewith. The door mechanism B includes the sections C and D, the latter section of which is provided with an auxiliary closure device E.

The box car A is of any preferred type including the side walls 10 having the door way 11 therein. Suitable strips 12 and 13 may be provided, upon the inside of the walls 10 and which have outstanding flanges 14 extending into the car; said flanges or tongues 14 being positioned upon opposite sides of the door way 11, so that they are vertically positioned and adapted for cooperating with the door sections in a manner to be subsequently described.

The door sections C and D are each of suflicient length to extend for the width of the doorway 11, although it is preferred that each of said sections C andD be of substantially one half of the height of the doorway 11. Vertically positioned guide rods 17 and 18 are positioned upon the side wallclO inside of thecar A,so that the same extend vertically along opposite side edges of the doorway 11. It is'preferred that an end 20 of each of the rods 17 and 18 be riveted to the wall 10., or secured thereto in any appropriate manner; the upper ends of said rods 17v and 18 being anchored in suitable brackets QlQso that the rods, in fact, extend in spaced parallel relation with respect to the side wall 10, along opposite sides of the door way 11. These rods are of such length as to extend through out the height of the door way 11, and are provided for receiving the apertured ends 22 of hinge leaves 23 which may be suitablyconnected to the inside of the sections 0 and D; so that a section C is oscillatively and longitudinally slidable upon the bar 1'7, and the section D is osoillatively and longitudinally slidable upon the bar 18. Thus. it can be seen that the lower sectionsC and D are hingedly and slidably connected upon opposite sides of the door way 11.

The ordinary position of the door sections C and D when the door mechanism B is closed will be that of providing the section C as an upper closure member for the doorway 11. and providing the other section D as a lower closure member for the doorway 11. However, the sections C and D are interchangeable as to the position which the same may assume in the doorway 11, due to the fact that both of said sections may be longitudinally slid upon their guide rods, and horizontally oscillated for closing in a predetermined posi tion. As a convenient method of supporting the sections C and D, when it is desired to use the entire area of the door way 11 for access to the interior of the car A. brackets 25 and 26 have been provided, mounted in any appropriate manner upon the inside of the wall 10, so that the sockets thereof receive the outer ends of the door sections C and D respectively. It is of course, necessary LO slide both of said sections C and D onto the upper ends of their supporting rods, when desiring to support the same in open position upon the laterally positioned brackets 25 and 26. It is preferred, that the abutting edges 27 and 28 of the sections C and D respectively be so constructed as to provide a lap joint when said sections are arranged for closing the door way 11. The outer sides of the sections C and D are provided, adjacent the vertical and lateral edges with strips 29 and 30 respectively, all of which have longitudinal grooves or pockets 31 therein for receiving the tongues 14 of the wall strips 12 and 13 above mentioned.

Since the sections C and D are hingedly connected interiorly of the car A, the door mechanism B will not present any over lapping portions exteriorly of the car A, nor will the same present any hinged connection, so that it will be difficult and practically impossible for any one to tamper with the supporting mechanism of the door B, or nail the same to the wall 10 as is some times the practice to do. Suitable hasp devices 32 and 33 may be provided upon the outside surfaces of the door sections 0 and B respectively adjacent the free ends thereof for locking said door sections to the car wall 10.

Referring to the auxiliary closure device E, the same includes a door member 35 adapted for cooperation in the opening 36 of the door section D, said opening being provided in the section D upwardly from the lower marginal edge thereof. The purpose of providing auxiliary doors in the main doors of freight cars is well understood, since the same facilitate the handling of grain, gravel, and other material of like bulk. Conside "able difficulty, however, has been experienced with the types of auxiliary doors now in use, due to the .fact that the same can not be conveniently controlled, either for opening or closing of the same.

In order to overcome the difficulties heretobefore experienced with the grain doors of freight cars, the door 35 has been provided with cooperating supporting and locking means of novel arrangement. The top edge 38 of the door 35 is bevelled in downwardly sloping manner from the outer surface 39 thereof and adapted for cooperating with the bevelled edge 40 of the opening 36 in the door section D. Thus, when the door 35 is disposed within the opening 36 of the door section D, the bevelled edges 38 and 40 are in abutting relation. Metal refnforcing strips 41 and 42 of U-shaped formation are provided for attachment upon the inside and outside surfaces of the door section D, along the edges of the opening 36 therein, the bight portions 44 of said U- shaped metallic strips 41 and 42, extending inwardly of the opening 36 to provide socket openings 45 for receivingv the lower corner edges 46 of the auxiliary door 35, which are suitably recessed for insertion into the so'kets Hinge leaves 49 are attached to the outer surface of the door 35, so that the barrel ends 50 thereof extend just above the bevelled edge 38. Relatively short hinge leaves 53 are attached to the outer surface of the door section C having barrel ends thereon adapted for cooperation with the barrel ends 50 of the leaves 49 to receive the couplings 55, whereby the auxiliary door 35 may be oscillatively hinged to the outer surface of the lower door section D in a novel manner, so that the section 35 may bemosteffectively controlled for utilizing the same for the purpose for which it is provided.

A novel type of locking mechanism is provided upon the exterior of the section D and auxiliary door 35, which includes a bar horizontally bearing in the brackets 61, so that reduced ends 62 formed upon the ends of the bar 60 extend laterally of the edges of the door Keepers 65 are struck from the material of the strips 41 and 42, and adapted for receiving the eccentric projections (32. An operating bar 63 is rigidly connected upon the bolt member 60 intermediate the bearing members 61, which may be oscillated for oscillatory movement of the bar 60 within the bearing members 61. hen the auxiliary door 35 is closed in the opening 36, the portion 63, will of necessity, have to extend dowmvardly, so that the eccentrically projecting ends 62 may he properly positioned to permit closing of the door 35 in the opening 36. iVhen an operator swings the hand engaging portion 63 upwardly, the bolt 60 will be so oscillated that the projecting ends 62 will be thrown into the socket openings provided by the keepers 65, and which will, of course, latch the door 35. In order to prevent any tampering or accidental displacement of the ends 62 from the keepers 65, a staple 68 is provided for receiving the slotted end 69 of the operating portion 63, whereby a padlock or like member (not shown) may be inserted there through for maintaining the portion 63 locked to the staple 68, and thus, of course, keeping the auxiliary door 35 in locked position.

The advantage of mounting the auxiliary door 35 by means of the couplings 56, lies in the fact that thereby the door 35 may be removed entirely from the opening 36, when it is desired to withdraw grain from the car A through the release opening 36. In addition to this, the novel means of mounting the door 35 permits the corners 46 thereof to be readily inserted in the sockets 45 provided by the bight portions 4A of the reinforcing strips ll and 42, so that the auxiliary door 35 may be maintained in such relation to the section D as to entirely close the release opening 36 therein.

It is obvious, that when the door mechanism B is entirely closed, a barrier is thus provided for the car doorway 11, which has such connection with the wall 10, as to prevent any possibility of loss of the car contents tl'irough joints and other connections thereof. If it is desired to utilize the car A as a stock car, the section C can be lowered upon its supporting rod 17, so that the same may be swung closed in the lower portion of the door way 11, and the other section D may be placed in its supporting bracket 26, in an out of the way position, thus leaving the upper part of the doorway 10 open, whereby the cattle within the car A may receive air. Pressure upon the auxiliary door 35 is of course considerable when the car A is loaded with grain, and it can be seen that the reinforcement provided by the sockets 45 is of considerable value, since by this means, the door 35 will not be strained upon its supporting hinges, and the lock or bolt means will not directly receive all of the strain incident to pressure within the car A.

Various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be made to the form of invention herein shown and described, without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims.

WVe claim:

1. In a device of the class described, the combination with a support having an opening therethrough, of a closure member for said opening, leaves connected to said support and said closure member, and coupling links extending longitudinally between the leaves and loosely connecting the leaves of said closure member to the leaves of said support to permit oscillatory swinging of the closure member, said closure member and support having the abutting edges thereof adjacent said couplings bevelled to permit free swinging of said closure member and contacting engagement between said edges of the closure member and support when the closure member is closed.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with a support having an opening therethrough, of a closure member for entirely closing said opening when disposed therein, leaves connected to said support and said closure member, coupling links extending longitudinally between the leaves and loosely connecting the leaves of said closure member to the leaves of said support to permit oscillatory swinging of the closure member, said closure member and support having the abutting edges thereof adjacent said couplings bevelled to permit free swinging of said closure member and contacting engagement between said edges of the closure member and support when the closure member is closed, and sockets provided upon said support at the lower corners of the opening therethrough and open at their upper ends and facing sides and adapted for receiving the lower corner edges of said closure member when in closed position.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination with a support having an opening therethrough extending upwardly from the lower edge thereof, means affixed to the sides of said opening upon said support providing keepers and socket members at the lower corners of said opening, a closure member, vertically disposed leaf sections mounted upon said closure member and support, couplings extending longitudinally between the leaf sections and pivotally connected to the ends of said leaf sections, the abutting edges of said closure member and support adjacent said coupling members being bevelled whereby the closure member may be swung upwardly from the opening in said support, or downwardly into the sockets provided in said opening, and fastener means adj ustably carried by the closure member for engaging said keepers and releasably securing the closure member in closing relation to the opening of said support.

JOSEPH Gr. GREB. SVEND K. LILLETHUN. 

